PIRATES are still holding captive eight crew members of the MarMalaita, a 679-TEU multi-purpose cargo vessel operated by the Hamburg based company MC Schiffahrt that was ambushed on August 14.
Four of the crew remained on board after the pirates sneaked aboard just before midnight and took hostage the eight crewmen whilst the ship was at anchorage in Douala, Cameroon, reported Handy Shipping Guide.
The vessel has since continued on her voyage to Luanda, Angola with a replacement crew. The abducted crewmembers come from Russia, the Philippines and Ukraine.
'A group of pirates boarded the vessel and abducted eight of our 12 crew members from the vessel. We have assembled our emergency response team and are doing (our) utmost to deal with the case, in cooperation with all relevant authorities and crew managers,' a company statement said.
'Our thoughts reach out to the concerned families and we will take all efforts to support and assist them until the seafarers safely return back home. All respective authorities have been informed accordingly and we will fully cooperate with them until the case is resolved.'
The 10,600 deadweight tonne vessel sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, and is equipped with two onboard cranes, each with a lift capacity of 60 tonnes.
WORLD SHIPPING
Four of the crew remained on board after the pirates sneaked aboard just before midnight and took hostage the eight crewmen whilst the ship was at anchorage in Douala, Cameroon, reported Handy Shipping Guide.
The vessel has since continued on her voyage to Luanda, Angola with a replacement crew. The abducted crewmembers come from Russia, the Philippines and Ukraine.
'A group of pirates boarded the vessel and abducted eight of our 12 crew members from the vessel. We have assembled our emergency response team and are doing (our) utmost to deal with the case, in cooperation with all relevant authorities and crew managers,' a company statement said.
'Our thoughts reach out to the concerned families and we will take all efforts to support and assist them until the seafarers safely return back home. All respective authorities have been informed accordingly and we will fully cooperate with them until the case is resolved.'
The 10,600 deadweight tonne vessel sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, and is equipped with two onboard cranes, each with a lift capacity of 60 tonnes.
WORLD SHIPPING